University “Ukshin Hoti” Prizren (hereinafter the University) was established by Decision no. 01/87 of the Government of the Republic of Kosovo on 09.10.2009, as the second public university in the Republic of Kosovo, located in the historical capital city of Kosovo. The city of Prizren is well-known for its rich ethnic, linguistic and cultural heritage. The Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo on 30.05.2013 approved the Statute of the University. University inherits the experience of the former Pedagogical High School, as an independent higher education institution which offered studies from 1962 and later transformed into the branch of the Faculty of Education in Prizren. For over six decades, the primary and secondary education system of the Prizren region (and wider) has been supplied with teachers from our institution.

Such a tradition recently continues in other sectors and industries. The initial idea for the establishment of the University was born from the immediate need of the Prizren market demand for the preparation of specialists in the fields of ICT, business administration and international management, agribusiness, forestry and environmental science, primary and secondary education, linguistics, law and related fields. University study programs are designed in close collaboration and with permanent international consultancy. University study programs are coherent with the latest European academic development trends. Currently, in 2022/2023 there are 3032 active students (2045 female students and 987 male students). Students who study at the University come from the Prizren region (Prizren, Suhareka, Rahovec, Malisheva and Dragash), other regions of the Republic of Kosovo and Northern Albania. The age structure of the students is largely young. The socio-economic background of University students is of average level, in line with the socio-economic status of the majority of the population.

Currently, the University consists of 6 faculties offering 20 study programs (Table 1), in two study levels, bachelor (BSc) and master (MSc). In addition to study programs in Albanian language, University also offers students study programs in Turkish and Bosnian language.
The linguistic diversity of study programs makes the University unique compared to other Universities in Kosovo. Most of the study programs have gained re-accreditation for a period of three (3) years, while three of them have gained re-accreditation for a period of five (5) years (Information Technologies and Telecommunication (BSc), English language and literature (BA), and General Law (LLB), as a reflection of institutional maturity.

Table 1. List of the faculties and study programs at the University “Ukshin Hoti” Prizren

At the same time, within a medium-term period, the University plans to open doctoral study programs. In order to fulfil this objective, the University is part of the international project DIPHDICTKES (The development and implementation of PhD Curricula in ICT for Kosovo Education System) under the leadership of two prestigious universities, Linnaues University (LNU, Sweden) and NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Norway).
Moreover, University has developed portfolio of the courses that are taught in English, as a first step to establish interdisciplinary study programs in the English language and as the cornerstone to enhance international student/staff mobility.

One of the main competitive advantages of the University, is capacity to offer study programs in 3 languages (Albanian, Turkish, and Bosnian). Moreover, the University campus is located near the Prizren city park which offers students easy access to additional recreational spaces. The University infrastructure consists of: 40 classrooms, 3 Amphitheatres, 47 offices for academic and administrative staff with a total infrastructure area of approximately 14,820 m2. The University facility owns a University Library which has a fund of over 71,000 book titles in Albanian, English, Turkish, Bosnian and other languages.